Fire-escape



(No Model.)

v G. W. W0RD]'\1\T.r

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 4,04*,514. A Patented June -L 1889.

m, A *Il l UNITEDv STATES PATENT OEEICE.

GEORGE IV. VORDEN, OF LEWISTON, NEV YORK.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,514, dated June 4,1889.- Applieation filed May 8, 1888. Serial No. 273,189. (No inodel.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WORDEN, of Lewiston, in the county ofNiagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Fire Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of fireescapes which consist of adrum 4attached to the window-frame, a cord or rope wound upon said drumand carrying a band or girdle which encircles the person using theescape,

and a brake device connected with the drum,

whereby the rotation of the latter is retarded.

The object of my invention is to produce a safe and reliable fire-escapeof this class which shall be inexpensive and simple. in construction.

The invention consists of the improvements which will be hereinafterfully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a sectional elevationof my iinproved iire-escape applied to a window-frame, and showing theretarding mechanism in engagementwith the drum. Fig. 2 is an endelevation of the drum and the bracket or bearing supporting one endthereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the retarding mechanism,showing the same disconnected from the drum. Fig. 4t is a cross-sectionin line x Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of thedrum. Fig. 6 is a cross-section thereof on an enlarged scale. Fig. 7 isa fragmentary side elevation of the drum with several of the radialslats removed. Fig. S is a cross-section in line y y, Fig. 3.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the window-frame.

B is the horizontal drum, arranged on the inner side of thewindow-frame, and upon which the rope C is wound, and C is the girdle orbelt, which is secured around the person in descending to the ground.

d is the shaft of the drum, which is supported at one end in ahookshaped bearing or bracket CZ', secured to the inner side of thewindow-frame, and provided with a lockingdog cl2, pivoted to the bracketd', and bearing against the upper side of the shaft d, so as to coniinethe latter in its bearing. The opposite end of the drum-shaft d is madesquare and fits into a square socket e, formed at the inner end of ashort horizontal shaft e', which is journaled in bearings formed in theupper portion of an upright rectangular casing E. The latter is arrangedadjacent to the window-frame, and is preferably formed of two parts, onepart f consisting of the rear wall of the casing and the other part fforming the front wall and side walls thereof, the two parts of thecasin g being secured together by horizontal bolts f2, as shown in Figs.l and 3. The two parts of the casing are provided at their lower .endswith lugs or ears f3, through which pass fastening-bolts, whereby thecasing is iirmly secured to the floor of the room.

g represents a vertically-movable shaft arranged within the casing E andturning in bearings g formed in horizontal cross-bars g2 g3' g4,arrangedgin the casing E. The crossbars 2 3 (4 are divided centrall andone .C/ J i half of the same is formed on the rear wall f of the casingE and the other half on the front wall thereof, as shown in Fig. S. Thebearings of the shaft g are formed partly in one half and partly in theother half of the cross-bars g2 g3 g4. The shaft gis provided at itsupper end with a bevel-wheel H, which meshes with a similar wheel H',mounted on the short horizontal shaft c within the casing E.

I represents a horizontal lever pivoted near the lower end of the casingand Ahaving its inner arm t' projecting into the casing E through anopening t, formed in the front wall of the casing.

j represents a horizontal friction-disk secured to the inner arm ofthelever I andbearing against the under side of a similar friction-disk j',secured to the lower end of the.

vertically-movable shaft g. l

k represents a movable counterbalancingweight arranged upon the outerlong arm t2 of :the lever I, and whereby the shaft g is raised so as tobring its bevel-wheel II in engagement with the bevel-wheel H andwhereby the friction-disk j of the lever is held in foreible contactwith the friction-disk j', so as to retard the rotary movement of thevertical shaft g and the'fdrum B. The vertical movement of the shaft gis limited by two collars Z Z', secured to the shaft on opposite sidesof the central cross-bar g3 of the casing E. The

IOO

upper collar Zallows the shaft gto move downwardly sufficiently todisconnect its bevelwheel II from the bevel-wheel II, and the lowercollar Z prevents the shaft from being moved upwardly so far as to causethe teeth of the two bevel-wheels to bind. The counterbalancing-weight7a is placed at such a distance from the fulcrum of the lever I as toproduce sufficient friction between the disks jj gj to properly retardthe rotation of the drum B to allow a slow descent of the personattached to the rope C. rlhe lever I is preferably graduated like anordinary scale-bar, so that upon placing the counterpoise 7a oppositethe number correspondin g to the approximate weight of the person usingthe escape the rotation of the drum will be properly retarded to effecta slow and safe descent. The collar l. bears against the under side ofthe central. cross-bar q3 when the shaft g is raised, and therebyincreases the friction-al resistance upon the shaft g and drum B. IVhena descent has been made, the weight 7c is moved inwardly, as shown inFig. 3, thereby7 allowing the vertical shaft g to descend, throwing thebevel-wheels II Il out of gear, and permitting the rope to be rewoundupon the drum preparatory to making another descent.

m represents a small auxiliary drum secured to the outer end of theshort shaft e', out-side of the casing E, and m is a wire rope attachedat one end to the drum m and passing over a pulley n, attached to theceiling and provided at its opposite end with a Weight N. The rope m iswound upon the small drum m in an opposite direction to the rope C ofthe drum B, so that when the rope C is unwound from the drum B the ropem will be wound upon the auxiliary drum m. After making a descent andthrowing the shaft g out of gear with the drum-shaft (l, the weight `N,which has been raised by the unwinding of the rope C, descends andcauses the rope m to be unwound from the auxiliary drum m, therebyturning the latter and causing the shaft e and main drum B to revolve inthe proper direction to again wind the rope C upon the latter. In thismanner the rope C is automatically rewound upon the drum B, ready foranother descent. The diameter of the auxiliary drum ml and drum B are soproportioned that the winding-weight N travels a distance about equal tothe height of the room in winding the rope C upon the main drum.

lVhen the escape is not in use, the drum B, with the rope C, is removedfrom the socket c and bearing d by swinging the dog (Z2 outwardly. Y

rlhe drum B is composed of two metallic hub-disks o, which areadjustably secured to the shaftd, and radial wooden slats or bars p,which engage with their ends in radial grooves p', formed in the innersides of the hubalisks 0, as clearly shown in Figs. 5, (5, and 7. Thehub-disks are adjustably secured to the shaft d by set-screws p2, whichengage in longitudinal grooves p3, formed in the shaft (i. Thisconstruction enables a drum of larger or smaller diameter to be readilyconstructed by inserting slats p'of greater or less width into theradial grooves of the hub-disks, and as the disks o are adjustablelongitudinally a long or short. drum may be readily construeted byemploying slats of different lengths. This construction enables a drumof any desired size to be readily made, which is very desirable, as thedrums arranged at the upper stories of a building are required to carrymore rope than those of the lower stories, and must therefore be ofgreater diameter than the latter. XVhen the fire-escape is used inhotels or similar buildings, the shaft g is preferably connected with asuitable alarm in the main office, so as to notify the clerk when theescape is used and enable him to locate the lire, and also preventguests from leaving the building by means of the fire-escape withoutdetection.

q represents the cord, which connected with a bell or other alarm in theoffice, and q is a catch or trip lever pivoted tothe inner side of thecasing E, and to which the cord (l is attached.

q2 is a cani or finger secured tothe shaft g, and which strikes theupper arm of the catch q when the shaft is rotated, andthereby pulls thecord q and gives an alarm.

l. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a horizontal drum, of afriction-disk, connecting mechanism whereby the rotary motion of thedrum is transmit-ted to the friction-disk, and a weighted lever bearingdirectly against said friction-disk for retarding the motion of thesame, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a horizontal drum, of a vertical shaft gearedwith said drum and provided with a friction-disk, and a weighted leverbearing against said friction-disk, substantially as set forth.

The combination, with a horizontal drum, of a gear-wheel mounted on saiddrum, a vertically-movable shaft provided with a gearwheel meshing withthe gear-wheel of the drum and having a friction-disk, and a leverbearing against said friction-disk and 'provided with a movablecounterpoise, whereby the pressure of the lever against said frictiondisk may be regulated, substantially as set forth.

4C. The combination, with the window-frame, the casing E, and thehorizontal shaft e', mounted in said casing and provided with abevel-wheel II and at one end with a square or flat-sided socket c, ofthe removable drum B, having a shaft provided with a flat-sided endadapted to enter the socket c and formed at its opposite end to fit ahook-shaped bearing d', secured to the window-frame, a vertical shaft g,having a bcvelavheel II, meshing with the wheel II', a frictioirdiskj",secured IOO' IIO

to said shaft, and Aa Weighted lever I, provided with a friction-diskj,bearing against the disk j', substantially as set forth. l

5. The combination, with the rope C, the

5 horizontal main drum B, and its shaft provided With the gear-Wheel H',of the vertically-movable shaft g, provided with a gear- Wheel H,meshing with the gear-Wheel H and with a friction-disk j', a lever I,provided at ro its inner end with a friction-disk j, bearing against thedisk j, a eounterpoise k, arranged upon the lever I, an auxiliary drumm, mounted on the shaft of the main drum, and a rope m', Wound upon theauxiliary drum in an' op-

